WANTED:GIRLFRIEND
by BlackIceReiya
Summary: Yes, I like her. She's the world top criminal and thief, I'm the son of a police officer. But I've got something to say to her: Rin, you suck at being my Juliet.
1. Legend's League

**Year 2016, December 25**

"Mom," A five year old boy with golden hair tugged his mother's sleeves, "Who's that girl on the TV?"

It was a live broadcast, outside the Museum in Beijing, China. The boy had read about the museum before, although he didn't really read it, he just looked at the pictures. And he knew, the world's most beautiful green jade is inside, worth seventy-six thousand American dollars. Maybe even more.

The jade had a name; it was called the 'Empress's Heart'.

On top of the museum roof, was a woman. A beautiful, dazzling one. Her hair was long and golden, but it wasn't the same as the boy's golden hair, it was more of a dark gold, mysterious yet so attracting. She was wearing a woman's tuxedo, entirely white with a blue tie. There was a cape on her back, the boy thought she looked like those heroes from his PS3 games. It was so beautiful on her.

On her hand, was the 'Empress's Heart'.

Dozens of helicopters surrounded the building, reporters, the cops and, the boy think was, the FBI. Down there, cops pointed their guns at the woman, yet the woman smiled as if they don't exist.

The boy recognizes a man on one of the helicopters, Leon Strife, a 26 year old man, and the man was angry, the boy didn't like it when his father was angry. No one likes that.

Light shone on the woman, she was like the star of this crazy night.

The woman walked on the roof, allowing her cape to glide through the wind, she reminded the boy of a vampire.

She walked till the end of the roof, and looked down; cops were getting nervous of her strange act. She smiled again.

And jumped off the roof.

The boy looked away, was it a suicide, he thought. Jumping down from a roof like that wasn't something a five year old boy would enjoy.

But the boy heard his father's voice in the television, a very loud voice shouting, "Find her!"

The boy looked back at the TV.

The woman was gone, the second before she touched the ground, she disappeared.

They never found her again.

* * *

**Nine years later. Year 2025, first day of school.**

Len Strife was not a big fan of school; he didn't even need to go there with an IQ like that. But then, he wasn't a big fan of getting killed by his mother too.

He was already in class, half an hour before it starts. He hoped that he would learn something actually useful and new in the school after a year, but no such chance. There were no students with a brain like him, there wasn't any teacher that could interest him, there was nothing he hasn't know about in his textbook.

Well, there isn't actually anything for him to learn, with an IQ of 225, he's probably cleverer than the teachers.

Not everyone could go into this school; you need one of these two, brains or money. And of course, Len got in with his brain, after about forty-six schools that have tried to get him in, he decided to join in this school.

"Kaito Shion, please to meet you."

Len turned around and looked at a teenager that was at least a head higher than Len. Blue hair, scarf, eyes. You could notice him half a mile away.

Len continued looking at him.

"I'm new." Kaito smiled.

"I know you are new," Len stood up, "2nd place of the International piano and violin competition, son of the head of Yakuza, IQ of 205, am I correct?"

"No wonder you're a living legend of this school." Kaito sighed, but with an interested smile, "Len Strife, 1st place of the International piano and violin competition, kid with the highest IQ in North America, China and Russia, knows eleven languages, Professional gunner," Then he chuckled, "Should I continue?"

"That would take an hour," Len said proudly, "You're left handed, aren't you?"

"And how did you know?" Kaito asked, surprised.

"Ten minutes ago, you put your pen on your left ear, isn't that obvious?"

The door of the classroom opened.

A girl with golden hair, fair skin walked right in, there was something about her expression and her choice of accessories that made Len interested in her file and history.

She didn't wear clothes that would make boys fell for her, she didn't wear makeup, she didn't wear high heels and jewelry. Just a simple ribbon for her hair and some pins that made her look refreshing and innocent.

Yet her face, even with ribbons and pins, made her look like a cold-blooded queen.

She sat behind Len.

"Strange, can't find any of her files." Kaito suddenly whispered to Len.

Len didn't need to be told twice, he has already dwelled inside his own memory in search of her face, anyone with brains or money should be already recorded inside his brain, yet there was nothing of this girl.

He knew everyone inside this class. For example, Tei Lockhart, daughter of the president of the company, Yamaha, one of the peoples who came into this school with their wallets, and also one of the girls who wanted to marry Len.

Len finds this incredibly annoying.

Len sighed; almost time to see a little action. Tei forbids any girl from getting near Len, which Len sometimes finds useful; since no girls would ever come close him and he could be in peace and quiet. But then, if being annoying were a crime, then Tei would be public enemy number one.

Len almost felt sorry and guilty for the girl behind him, but leaving feelings of guilt isn't good for a child's mental health.

"Get away from this seat," Tei pointed at the girl and said calmly, "He's mine."

The girl looked up, and then continued reading her book, which Len saw was about body language.

"I'm warning you, missy, I got my brown belt when I was twelve, and I'm not afraid to-"

"I'm reading, please be quiet." The girl didn't even look up.

What happened next impressed Len.

Tei shot out a fist at the girl, attempting to punch her in the face. But the girl blocked it off with her arm, then, quicker than a normal man could capture, which by the way was 12 frames per second, the girl lifted Tei by pulling her arm and threw her off.

There was silence; Len was, for the second time in his life, impressed by a female.

"Black belt when I was eight," The girl said without any expression, and then she sat down and continued with her book.

* * *

The teacher was five minutes late.

Len was reading a book about computers when the door just flung open. A man with strange hair walked in quickly and put his books down on the desk.

Purple hair, thick glasses, lab coat, Len almost thought he went into the wrong room.

"My name is Gakupo, and I will be your teacher for this class." He smiled, "I will ask you some simple questions so I can get to know you more."

Where are you from, what's your name, any dreams. Len was bored of these questions, the teachers of this school tends to care a little too much for their students.

"What is the root of 755161?"

"869," Len said out loud without even having to think.

"Len Strife, is it?" The teacher smiled warmly, "Quite a brain you have. Now, the capital of French Polynesia, Korea and Saudi Arabia?"

"Papeete, Seoul and Riyadh." He said again.

"Good, now…"Then he stopped, "Would the lady behind Len please stand up? You have not being paying attention to me since the second I walked in."

The girl behind Len looked at him for a few seconds, and then stood up.

"I have left four fingerprints in this place since I walked in, name them. I'll let you look at my hand, what martial arts do you think I've learned? I live five hundred meters away from here, did I came by car or bus? What is the cube of 329?"

This was out of Len's league. He has never expected questions like this from a teacher; the only question he can answer is question number two and four, because he has not paid any attention. He doubts that the girl could answer them.

He was wrong.

"The board, the first desk of the first row, the upper side of the door and your face. Second, judging by the small scar on your left hand between the thumb and the index finger, Japanese sword. Third, neither, you ran here, the mud on the end of your lab coat proves it. Fourth, 35611289."

Len, for the first time in his life, felt stupid. And the word stupid is never a word that can be used on him.

He felt, strangely, excited. To find a girl with an attention and knowledge like that was almost like a dream. Someone with an IQ that is similar with his level, how could he have never heard of her?

"Nice," Gakupo nodded, "May I ask, what is your name?"

"Kagamine Rin," She said.

* * *

**Guess where I got the word 'Strife'.**


	2. Empress's Enigma

"The only thing I know about her is that she's a girl, you have at least ¾ of your class with her and she's a martial art master." Kaito counted with his fingers as he talked, "And she's a genius, nothing else."

"Don't talk like I don't know that already." Len sighed, "Are you completely sure you cannot find anything of her with that useless computer of yours?"

"Nothing," Kaito replied, "And my computer is not useless."

"I am not interested in your arguments and would be very glad if you would continue trying to search for more of her data." Len answered back.

Kaito sighed, the son of the Yakuza, getting rebuked by a kid shorter than him. This was a humiliation that Kaito's father better not know about. But then, Kaito was sometimes spooked out by Len, his way of talking generally had that effect on people. Throughout the whole school day, Len's knowledge has proven himself a talented adolescent. And one you would not try to offend.

To Kaito, Len looked like he was in a bad mood, and his lack of speed in finding information is definitely doing little to improve it. But actually, this was just Len's daily pessimism. Beneath Len's word were excitement.

Len needed to acquire more knowledge about Rin. He has never in his life found another human that would interest him in every way. A person's brain, thoughts, ability, way of epistemology, everything of her was so fascinating.

"Lenny~"

Len almost delivered a roundhouse kick to Tei, although he _was_ tempted to do just that. The same goes for Kaito, who almost slammed his laptop's keyboard when hearing Tei's voice.

"What'cha doing?" Tei asked.

"It's none of your business." Len replied without any emotion.

"Oh, come one." Tei said flightily. "Let's eat dinner tonight!"

"I refuse to go to your dinner, and would you mind, we're busy here." Len answered, annoyed. "And do not use your strange tone on me. It is incredibly annoying."

"Isn't it impolite to decline a lady's invitation?" Tei asked.

"Yes it is. But to me, you are not a lady. And believe me, there are no chances for you to become a lady in the future." Len said sternly, "So, please, we have work to do. I am now kindly asking you to leave us alone."

"Would you please keep quiet, I'm reading."

Len recognized that voice immediately, even if he has only heard it for a few times.

Kagamine Rin was also in this library.

"You have a problem with me?" Tei glared at Rin.

"Yes I do." Rin replied, "Your sounds are disturbing me."

"Oh, shut up, Chinese." Tei shouted, "Open your eyes already. And please, you think you're so clever, aren't you? Everything about you is so annoying, your face, your ribbon, your name. Especially your name, what was it again? Car…Kane...mine-"

Rin shook her head and sighed, "First of all, I am Japanese. Second, my eyes are already open, as you can see. Third, you do understand that was racial discrimination, right? Fourth, my name is Kagamine Rin, why don't you read it with me KA-GA-MI-NE RIN, there's a difference between 'N', 'M', 'C', 'K' and 'R'. Even Mary Bell knew the difference between 'N' and 'M'."

No one knew what in Earth she was talking about. Except Len.

After the last sentence, you could hear Len chuckling a bit about it. This was not something everyone would know.

And of course, Rin didn't expect that to happened, she had thought no one would know what she was talking about. And so, she was actually quite glad to hear someone understanding her choice of words.

"You remember this, Rin," Tei gritted her teeth, "You'll regret it."

"Don't you know having feelings of regret isn't good for mental health?" Rin smiled.

Tei left the building with rage after glaring at Rin a few more times.

"Thank you for getting rid of her." Len quickly said, "She was quite aggravating. And here I thought Darwin said everything evolves."

Rin covered her mouth to hide that little laughter coming out of her mouth. But Len saw it; she was like a normal girl laughing at a normal joke. Yet, she laughed so gracefully and elegantly that Len was sure no girl could be like her.

"It's an honor to meet you, Len Strife." Rin smiled at him and held out her hands.

"You too," Len shook her hands.

The moment their hands touched, Kaito was sure he felt something cold down his spine, he didn't know what that feeling was, but he was sure it came from Rin and Len. They were like a mixture of rival and friend.

Then Rin looked over to Kaito… and the laptop.

"Erm…we're searching for…things." Kaito tried his best to come up with something. He can't just tell her that their looking for her data.

"We're searching for Gakupo's data." Len told Rin with a smile, "There's something about him that we have to know. But we couldn't find any of his information."

Rin smiled sweetly, "I've already searched for his data after school. His information was protected very well, so it was pretty hard to get."

Even though Len had also searched for his teacher's data, he wondered if Rin's source of information was the same as his, by hacking into the FBI. "So, would you tell me?"

"Of course," Rin nodded, "His original name was Kamui Gackt. He was a former member of the Mafia, Venomania. He was the consigliere of the family and the best friend of the don (Boss). He was famous for all his works and the police have been trying to get him since ten years ago. But ever since the 'Empress's Heart' incident, when the police had been busy with the case, Gakupo managed to flee from them and moved here. How he hasn't get caught, that I don't know."

It was the same information that Len had.

"The Empress's what?" Kaito asked dumbly at the back.

At the same time, Rin and Len rolled their eyes, thinking the same thing: How could he not know about it? But then, for these two geniuses, people with lower IQ must have annoyed them very much.

"It was a famous jade in China, and it was worth seventy-six thousand American dollars." Len said. "If it hasn't been stolen, its price would have been at least a hundred and two thousand now."

"It was stolen by the famous phantom thief at Christmas in the year 2016." Rin continued Len's words, "There was no name for the phantom thief, except for the name given to her because of the flower she always brings with her."

"And so, they gave her the name Lily." Len proceeded, "She had stolen seven jewelry, two crowns, five scrolls, one ancient book and eleven arts, including Mona Lisa's Smile and Las Meninas. Even though catching her was the priorities of all police, she had at least half a million fans all over the world."

"But then, after she stole the 'Empress's Heart', she vanished and was never seen again. Police conducted searches all over China to look for her. But she has disappeared with all the arts she had stolen." Rin finished.

Kaito looked at the identical boy and girl, "Do you two share a mind or something?"

Len looked at Rin, Rin looked at Len.

"It has been a long time since I could talk like this," Rin smiled, "To have someone with the same knowledge I have was quite an experience. Its tea time now, care to join me for a chat and some desserts?"

"Of course," Len replied, "Would you mind if I treat you to some brioche and jasmine tea?"

"You are quite the gentleman." Rin said, "But I prefer herbal tea, thank you."

As the two walked out of the library, Kaito sighed.

It has only been a day Rin and Len has meet each other, and already they're going on a date, Kaito thought to himself.

* * *

On the table lay a cup of jasmine tea and herbal tea. Each accompanied with a dessert. A girl and a boy sat there as they ate their brioche and enjoyed their conversation. To people who sat far away from them, they looked like a couple talking romantically. To people who sat where is nearer to them…they're probably having problems understanding what the two are talking about.

"What do you do in your free time?" Rin asked the boy sitting in front of her, "You don't look like you spend your time on video games like the other boys."

"Video games are for kids," Len smiled confidently, "I like to spend my time on looking at the stock prices. But most of the time, I read."

"Looks like we have the same hobby," Rin asked again. "Any favorite books?"

"The Black Requiem series, the Stolen Lullaby series and the Ghost Capriccio series, all by the author Alexander Des." Len replied, "His stories are all full of tragic and they have the best plot ever. Too bad it wasn't famous."

"If so," Rin looked at him, "We have the same favorite author too. But I prefer the Evil Symphony series than the Stolen Lullaby series."

"Oh, the story of the broken twins." Len smiled, "I like that, but the plot was quite easy compared to the other series, possibly everyone could've guessed the ending."

"Not everyone, only those people with high IQ," Rin said, "Like you."

"Oh, definitely not," Len smiled, "You must've guessed the ending too, didn't you?"

"Of course," Rin said, "It wasn't Riliane who ordered to kill Michaela, but Ney. Wasn't it?"

"Correct," Len replied. "What's your favorite poem?"

"Well…" Rin thought for a while, and then said, "LOVELESS."

The two went on for hours and hours until the sunset was in the sky. They had never talked to someone for such a long time in their whole lives, Rin's longest record for talking continuously was 27 minutes; while Len's longest record was 14 minutes.

But the two had talk for three hours this time.

By the time they realized how long they have talked, it was already seven.

"I have to go now." Len smiled to Rin, "It was nice talking to you."

"My pleasure." Rin nodded at him and went off, "See you tomorrow."

After Rin went off, that was when Len noticed the vase placed on the little corner of the table.

There was a lily in there.

* * *

**Mary Bell was a ten year old killer who carved an N into the victim's skin, but later changed into an M. Which explained why Rin said Mary Bell knew the difference between N and M.**

**Charles Darwin was the one who found out that everything evolves slowly throughout the million years.**

**The poem LOVELESS is a actually a famous poem from Final Fantasy VII.**

**And yes, the word 'Strife' came from Cloud Strife, also from Final Fantasy VII.**


	3. Lying Lily

Len's home is a two-storey house with a small garage, an attic and basement. Just like every other house on the street. Len had told his father to buy the house here when he was eight. It didn't attract too much attention, it looks normal and no one would ever know that one of the police's legend and the kid who has the highest IQ is living is this place.

His mother loved his idea, and after that, they bought the place and lived here. They were like a normal family; his father would always complain about work, his mother would do the house works and threaten Len and his father to help her while Len would try his best to be like an ordinary student.

Happy family, Len thought.

He took a quick glance at the house, a car was parked in the garage and his father's shoes were thrown on the ground, meaning his father has got back home and he was probably in a hurry to get in. Since the sun's already setting, there's a possibility that Len's mother has already started cooking.

Just thinking about mother's cooking made Len shuddered with fear.

Len walked up to the front door and opened it.

"I'm home!" He shouted, a habit he has had for six years.

And then all hell broke loose.

"No, you are not getting my son anywhere!" Len heard a woman's sound…her mother.

"He's also my son!" His father shouted from somewhere.

"He was in my belly for nine months, not yours!" His mother shouted.

"Whatever!"

Len didn't understand, for a kid with an IQ of 225, how he had such childish loving parents will remain a mystery for eternity.

Leon Strife, 35 years old, father of Len Strife. Current job is being a police, once a man who took over the case of the Phantom Thief, Lily. The man who has seen Lily the most and the one that had almost caught her, almost, of course. Lola Valenza, 34 years old, mother of Len Strife. No job. Worst cooking skill in the neighborhood, there were rumors that her cooking could kill rats.

Then Len saw his father and mother running down the stairs, pushing each other. Just looking at their hair colors reminded Len of a golden retriever and a husky.

Focus, Len, something's going on, your parent are not dogs, that would make you a dog too, he said quietly to himself.

Leon rushed ahead of Lola and tried to grab Len, but Lola pulled him back and tugged at his hair, shouting, "Don't even think about it!"

"I spent at least ten minutes on it! Stop touching my hair! Stop! No touchy, no touchy!" His father shouted.

"What exactly are you two doing?" Len finally asked them.

"I'm fighting for your freedom and your rights to be a normal student!" His mother shouted, while trying to throw his father to the ground.

His father tried to protest, "I just need him to help me with-"

"Your police work, and the last time you needed him to help, it involved negotiating with terrorist. I am not putting my son into any danger and you won't too!" Mother shouted, and then suddenly smiled warmly at Len, "Dinner's ready at the table, we've got spaghetti tonight."

"I'll…skip…I just ate." Len rather starve than eat his mom's cooking.

"You ate?" His father suddenly asked, "You went out to eat? How could you? Leaving me alone with this…this…"

"One more word and you'll be getting double servings tonight." Lola smiled at Leon, "And Len, why were you so late? Shouldn't you be back like…three hours ago?"

"I was out eating with my friend," Len answered, trying to avoid anything that could make his mother think that-

"Was it a girl?" Lola asked," Please tell me she's a girl; my boy needs a girlfriend, seriously."

"Yes, my friend's a girl and-"

"Oh my god!" Len's mother squeaked, "You have to tell me-"

"So, what did you want me to do, father?" Len quickly changed the subject.

"No, young man, you are so not getting away." Lola said.

Before Len had the time to allow his mother to make another comment, he did what he had to do.

He grabbed his father and run.

"Father, you know quarrelling with mother would lead to tragic dinners for you. And shouldn't you be able to suppress mother easily?" Len asked while running.

"I would never hit your mother, Len." Leon smiled, "Never."

"Whatever, father." Len sighed at his dad, "So, what exactly did you want me to do?"

"I just need your brains for ten minutes."

There's a possibility that it involves police works, like what Len's mother mentioned, and it could be bad. And needing Len's brains? That is definitely not good. And according to how his father was in a rush to get him…

It's going to get worse.

* * *

"Just…a little longer, I'll get you out of here okay?"

Inside a room, a girl was talking to a silver-haired kid. The little kid stayed quietly and looked at the girl, like he just wanted to look at her face for another second. He had no intention to talk, just sitting there and looking at her, like she's his only friend.

He didn't talk.

He couldn't talk.

"Just a little longer, please." The girl holds his hands, "Wait for me."

"Time's up, missy," A man appeared at the door.

The girl obeyed and stood up. The kid looked at her as she left, knowing it'll be at least another three days before she could come visit him.

"I'll get the money fast, okay?" The girl smiled, "Just wait."

And she left.

The man walked behind the girl, "So, how are you going to get the money?"

"You already knew how." The girl sighed, "Why ask?"

"Because I'm curious." The man said, "Because if you are going to do it like what I think you're going to do, then you've got a lot of guts. And I don't need people with a lot of guts here; they tend to start a riot against me."

"Trust me, I won't." The girl said confidently, "I've already sent the invitation to them, after that, I'll steal the diamond according to the date on it."

"But you sent a riddle," The man asked, "You think they'll understand anything?"

"They will," The girl suddenly smiled, "You won't have to worry about that. I'm pretty sure they'll solve it, 'he' will solve it."

"Oh, who's 'he'?" The man asked.

"Just…a friend I met today." She smiled.

"Friends…are useless, remember that," The man warned, "They'll get you into troubles and dangers, and I wouldn't want anyone hurting my girl, now, would I?"

"The only danger here is you, and I'm not your girl, I'm just your money maker that becomes useless when I stop working, is it?"

"Whatever you say," The man smiled, "But you really remind me of Lily when she was small. So stubborn, so useful, so beautiful and clever."

"…I do not need you to remind me of her now." The girl stopped in her tracks and stared back.

"Yes, yes, you need a change of topic, right?" The man asked, "Can you let me see the riddle? I'll see if I can use any of my brain juice tonight."

"Your brain wouldn't even come close to solving it." The little girl said it with a hint of disdain. "But here it is." She handed out a paper.

* * *

"You're telling me to figure out what it's saying. Right?" Len asked his father.

"Exactly, I have to know, I need to know, it's important." Leon said.

"Why? Because of Lily?" Len asked. "Sounds like something she'll write, at least that's what you told me."

His father stayed quiet for about thirteen seconds, then said, "She's being missing for nine years, we almost thought that she might be dead, but this…this might be a hint of her being alive, or maybe that she's back."

"It could be a piece of paper a kid randomly wrote to you." Len commented.

"And the piece of paper was sent to every police officer in America, China, Russia, Japan, England and Taiwan, and it was written in different languages, no name, no address, but a lily, a Calla Lily to be precise." Father said, "Are you sure?"

"Plus," He continued, "I know her, I was like her rival since I was fourteen. Knowing her being back just lets me…feel excited. This must be her, I just knew it."

Fourteen…the same age as Len is now…

"I'll try…" Len sighed.

_After the three Atlantis sank, Pandora would be taken.  
To the Sun and the Moon, where the cursed Flora stays hidden.  
The scent of it, brings delusion and illusion,  
Let Janus guide you, to conclusion or confusion._

* * *

**Anyone who can solve this?**


	4. Failure Flower

"I do not understand any of this thing," Len told Kaito, "I'm even strongly uncertain of why, of all the people, I looked for you to help me."

Kaito cursed something in Japanese and glared at Len, "Do you have a problem?"

"Yes, I do," Len said, "I have a problem with this riddle and I need to know what it's about."

"…Who gave you this riddle? I mean…Atlantis? Sun and the Moon? What the hell is Janus anyway?" Kaito asked.

"Is who not what. Janus is the Greek god of choices. My father gave me the riddle, he wanted me to solve it because," Len hesitated, and then said, "My mother was a little playful, so she hid his stuff, and then gave him this riddle to show him where he can find his things. Best mother ever."

Len wasn't going to tell Kaito anything about his father's police work and that thief, 'Lily'. Sometimes, not ranting everything out is a great way to ensure your own safety and benefits.

"Great mom you have," Kaito commented, "But there's no way you can Google this thing out. How are you going to solve this thing?"

"With my brain," Len replied without even thinking.

"Right, IQ of 225," Kaito sighed, "I hate geniuses like you."

It was the second day of school; the two were in class before it even started. Len has been working on the riddle for a long time, but not the whole night, since he needed the sleep and energy for the next day. Staying up late isn't good for the brains.

This was all he got.

Atlantis: The Atlantis took a whole day and a whole night to sink, which means 24 hours. It could mean three days if it's talking about 'Three Atlantis'. Or it could also mean 'The Three Kingdoms' from China's history (三国), which is probably the same as the 'Three Empires'. But China history has nothing to do with this. So that's out of question.

Three Atlantis sank: It could mean after three days, as stated above. But it could also mean after three certain places collapsed, since there's no way some place would mysteriously sink down. On the other hand, it could also mean after three bad things happened.

Pandora: It could mean the first woman that was made out of clay in the Greek mythology, sent to punish mankind. Or it could mean the Pandora's Box (It was a jar actually), where all evil was contained and released, and inside lay only 'hope'. Len reckoned that this has something to do with 'hope', since _Pandora would be taken_.

The Sun and the Moon: The sun could mean from East to West, since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. As for the moon, it's there all along; it never actually rises or sets. Since the Sun and the Moon is the place where the _cursed flora is hidden_, where the flora is obviously 'Lily' herself, it might mean that she would appear in one of these places.

Scent of it: The 'scent' probably meant 'Lily', or it could mean tear gas or gases with smells.

Brings delusion and illusion: Bringing delusion and illusion might mean that she's going to trick them into thinking what they want to think or she's going to get a little help from gases. But it doesn't indicate how she's going to trick them or what gas she's going to use.

Let Janus guide you, to conclusion or confusion: A choice is going to be made. And it could lead to them getting her or leave them in never-ending confusion. It has something to do with the trick 'Lily' is going to use.

Len listed out all possible things that might happen.

Possible time: Three days later/after three big events happened.

Possible entrance: Somewhere east/somewhere west/hiding there all along.

Possible places: No idea.

Possible things that could be stolen: Something symbolizing hope (Which could be anything).

Possible methods: Blend in with the crowd/Blend in with the police/Use gases with smell/Somehow trick them (Which Len has no idea).

Possible exits: East/west/hide into somewhere.

Possible ways to get her: Clear all crowds to prevent her from blending in/Check all polices/Use gas mask/Do not get tricked (Useless comment).

That was all he got.

And unless she has some kind of super powers, there's no way she could just go in and steal something. But this thought wasn't helping Len a bit, she has managed to steal tons of famous works, no one has ever caught her.

And one thing bothered Len the most.

The last time they saw her, she literally disappeared in front of everyone. It was a live broadcast, polices replayed all films to find any possible things about her. They've gotten none. She just vanished with at least a hundred and thirty police watching her, and another million watching the broadcast.

How in the world did she manage to disappear just like that?

Maybe Len shouldn't cancel out the part about having 'super powers', you'll never know.

Len stopped thinking; this was leading him to nothing. He needed to slow down his mind for a while; thinking helps him feel peaceful and calm down, but not thinking about strange problems that doesn't have a solution.

After the first day of school, he's learned something from Rin.

To notice things.

He looked around the classroom. Not a lot of people, so class isn't going to start in another seven or eight minutes. First class is, excitingly for Len, Kamui's class. Some kids were placing a bucket full of water on the top of the door, pulling a trick on anyone coming in next. Next kid coming in would end up wet with a bucket on their head.

When would they learn not to be so childish?

But of course, for Len, avoiding things like this is just too easy. You just need two easy tips.

Len wondered for a while who would be the unlucky one.

Then the door opened.

The sound of the water splashing down stopped Len from thinking. He looked at whoever was so unlucky, but then he found out the bucket and all the water was on the floor, no one wet was standing there.

Only a dry Kagamine Rin.

Len smiled, of course she wouldn't fall for that, he thought, every girl in this school would, but not her.

Rin fixed her gaze on Len and smiled back, a small smile that has a cunning or anticipating meaning behind it.

"Welcome to the class of childishness," Len said.

"Does that include you?" Rin asked.

"What do you think?" Len asked back.

"Nope," Rin sat on her seat, which is the one behind Len.

"So, how did you know about the bucket?" Len turned back and looked at her, already expecting her answer to be the same as his.

"Those guys were clumsy; they've left drops of water on the door, too obvious. All you needed to do was to pay attention to everything, which no one actually does." Rin explained clearly, "And the door has an automatic hinge so that it closes after you open it and leave it there. The door was wide open, anyone could see that."

Bingo, Len thought.

"Hey, Rin," Kaito suddenly called out, "You know anything about Pandora?"

"Pandora?" Rin asked curiously, "As in Pandora the girl, or Pandora the box?"

"I don't know, ask Mr. Genius here." Kaito pointed at Len.

Yes, Kaito, just what I need, you throwing out the wrong word at the wrong time, Len thought. He quickly explained the 'Mother hid Father's thing somewhere and gave this riddle' situation to Rin.

"What did your mother hid?" Rin asked, "It's important."

"A Swiss army knife," Len said. Len started to think fast, this was Rin, not Kaito.

"If it's so," Rin commented, "Some of them might be a distraction for your father. Pandora would be taken, if we're talking about Pandora's Box, it might mean your father's hope was taken. Or maybe your father was in need of that knife and your mother took it away, stating the knife as 'Pandora'."

"I've already guessed that," Len said, "My problem is 'Three Atlantis Sinking', 'The Sun and the Moon' and the part about 'Janus'. I've got some guesses, but I'm not entirely sure."

"The sun and the moon…" Rin stopped for a while to think, "The sky, I think."

"The sky?" Len asked.

"The Sun and the Moon is a folktale from Korea, it's about a tiger trying to eat two kids, a boy and a girl." Rin stated, "The kids escape by—"

"Climbing up a rope that leads to the sky, the boy turned into the sun and the girl into a moon." Len continued her sentence.

"Exactly," Rin smiled, "Any ropes in your house?"

"Yes," Len replied.

"As for Janus…" Rin's breath was slow and steady, "The Greek god of choice. Maybe your mother wants your dad to make a choice."

"That's what I thought." Len said.

"Three Atlantis…Three Great Empire…Three…" Rin frowned at this one, "You think your mother has some connections to China?"

"Why?" Len asked.

"The only thing I can think about is the Three Kingdoms from China, Wei (魏), Shu (蜀) and Wu (吴). Maybe something would happen in China. It doesn't actually state that it is going to literally sink. So, maybe something's going to happen." Rin explained, "The capitals, I think. Since if something's going to happen to the whole China, well, that's a big chaos."

The capitals, Len thought, Xu Chang (许昌) for Wei, Cheng Du (成都) for Shu and Nan Jing (南京) for Wu.

The thing Len hated about China was the place's names. Even if you know Chinese and live there, the geography must have been like hell.

"Flora…" Rin muttered under her breath, but Len heard it.

"What do you think about the Flora part?" Len asked.

"Flora I know, cursed Flora, not that much." Rin replied, "I'm guessing your mother hid it like this."

"Like what?" Kaito asked.

"Flora mostly means a flower. If I connect it to the sun and the moon, meaning the sky. What would you think about if I said 'A flower in the sky'?" Rin asked.

"Fireworks," Len replied, "I get it now, a diversion, right?"

"Exactly," Rin said, "Your mother managed to get your father's attention way with fireworks or fire crackers or something else."

"So, this is my theory," Rin continued, "Your mom created a diversion to get your dad away. And maybe after something happened in China, your dad suddenly needed that knife. But found out it was hidden by your mother, so it was like his hope was taken away. It might be hidden somewhere high or with a rope. The attic or the storeroom, maybe."

"Hey, Len," Kaito called out, "Remember what I said about hating geniuses like you?"

"Yes?"

"Screw that," Kaito sighed, "I hate you two. Why can't you guys just become a couple or something?"

Rin looked at Kaito, "A…"

"…Couple?" Len asked.

"Yeah, you guys are like, born to be together. Hey, maybe you should go get a diamond ring for her and propose tomorrow." Kaito said.

"…Let us just ignore him, should we?" Rin asked Len.

"Yes, we'll ignore him like he's a stupid clown that needs medical therapy." Len said.

"I love your idea." Rin smiled.

"Hey, I'm not stupid; I'm a smartass you know?" Kaito complained.

"Yes, you are a smartass...just half of it, the latter part of it." Len said without Kaito realizing what he said.

Rin was already giggling in front of Len.

"How about tea later?" Rin asked.

"Of course." Len replied.

"Go get married." Kaito muttered fiercely.

Len thought back on his comment about getting a diamond ring for Rin. How could Kaito be so childish, but then again, maybe he should be careful. He _is_ the son of the Japanese Mafia, Yakuza; he could be acting all the way.

But comments like that? That's just plain foolish, and he couldn't actually imagine himself going into a store and get a…diamond…ring…

Diamonds.

Len couldn't believe how stupid he was, it was so obvious, putting the word 'hope' and the word 'diamond' together…How could he have not thought about that?

He knew what 'Lily' is going to steal now.

* * *

**Some of you got it right, but not entirely right. Here's a little advice, don't think too hard.**


	5. Midnight Majesty

Time: 10:56:19 p.m.  
Location: Outside.  
Items: A watch, a small notebook, a pen, a cellphone.

The whole building was surrounded by at least 43 professional teams of police, each consisting one leader, two gunners and one experienced police who has previously joined in missions to catch 'Lily'.

It was the third day since the letter arrived, or maybe the "invitation" as Len would like to call it. Leon, Len's father was in charge of the whole operation, with Len tagging along the mission. It was a must for Len to be here to help them. It was him who solved the riddle; he has the right to be here, even if some people weren't happy with it.

If only they knew how clever I am, then they'll stop judging me just because I'm am an adolescent, Len thought to himself, but then again, they better not. Or else they would get scared.

The "Pandora" was situated in the center of the building they borrowed from a company. The reason why they borrowed it was because, well, the museum holding the "Pandora" wasn't enough. It is not safe enough, and just one glimpse of the blueprint gave Len a headache, too much turns, short corridors, windows everywhere and big spaces. Just having "too much turns" could affect the speed of them running and provide multiple choices for "Lily" to escape.

And Len would have to stay with the "Pandora", since he is the brain of the whole operation. If "Lily" is coming for it, Len would be there, waiting for her.

Just thinking about it was exhilarating for Len.

"Never underestimate 'Lily', I have seen her in action before and ever since then I have never trusted the fighting skills of even a SWAT team." Leon started giving everyone advice before they start preparing the defenses.

"Seconds, don't fall for any of her tricks, think before you do anything. But I'm sure that you are still going to fall for her tricks. So, ignore this. Third, be cautious at any time, even a gust of wind could mean that she is already inside the building. Fourth, be aware of your teammates' behavior, who knows if 'Lily' has already blended in."

Leon sighed, and added his last advice, "I'm not going to wish you good luck, because luck isn't going to help you. Trust me. Because your puny little luck is nothing compare to the luck of the devil."

Of course Len isn't going to trust the word "Luck", he has never trusted luck, he never trusted others, he is always cautious, and also…

Why trust luck when you have the brains?

* * *

Time: 11:32:16 p.m.  
Location: Elevator.  
Items: A watch, a small notebook, a pen, a cellphone.  
Objective: Check "Pandora".

The building has 13 floors; the "Pandora" is at the 7th floor, twelve teams guarding it, with four more teams on both the 6th floor and the 8th floor, six teams patrolling on the street, rest of them scattered everywhere inside, walking around like flies around dead meat.

Len started wondering about the whole thing behind this. Why did she want to steal all these things? She didn't feel like she needed money; she felt more like she just wanted to steal, or she needed to steal. And why did she wanted to be a phantom thief, instead of the regular thief. If she wanted to steal something, wouldn't less security be better?

And where was she the whole nine years? How was she able to disappear just like that? Did she had help before? And more importantly…

Who the hell is she?

This was Len's biggest fear, not knowing things. He needed answers to everything, he needs to know. The thought of not understanding why just scares him. From the moment he has his memories, he asked his mother why humans need to breathe.

He asked everything, how was words invented? Why is the sky blue? How do humans get oxygen into the lungs but breathe out carbon dioxide? Why does a person die? How is fire able to produce heat? How does a mind work? Why does everyone have different personalities? How does time exist with the world?

Those with answers comforted him and therefore he felt peace inside his little mind, but those without answers, well; he's still struggling to found out.

Tonight, he needed some answers.

And he's going to ask them himself.

The elevator arrived at the 7th floor, it opened and Len spent two seconds admiring how the twelve teams were in a type of…let's say orderliness. The teams stood there, noticing every small detail around.

Len ignored them after another second; orderliness isn't going to help them.

He walked towards the "Pandora", it was sealed up inside a bullet-proof glass, surround by 2 teams in a circle formation. Already Len saw it emitting a red glow from away, legend says that the blood of the ones being cursed has dyed the light of it into that red glow. But Len knew deeply that it was just the exposure towards ultra-violet light.

Le Bleu de France…or maybe Len should call it the Hope Diamond.

For that short moment, Len imagined if he was normal civilian. He would be tempted to steal the diamond for himself. It was just so beautiful, despite all those legends of curse and deaths. He would want it so much. The greyish blue gave this room such a gorgeous light, even if it is so small. He understood why people wanted this diamond so much. He would feel the greed inside him, wanting to take the light of it for himself.

IF he was a normal civilian, Len isn't.

Len would never steal something like that. Its light belong somewhere no human could ever take.

And even if he needed to do that, well, no one would ever find out, of course.

That isn't the reason "Lily" would want this diamond, he was sure of it.

* * *

Time: 11:51:06 p.m.  
Location: 9th floor.  
Items: A watch, a small notebook, a pen, a cellphone.  
Objective: Checking defense.

Len's cellphone rang. A short melody of one of Beethoven's famous music—Virus filled his ears instantly. Len looked at the caller and sighed.

He pressed a button on his cellphone and…

"Yo, Len, s'up!"

"No, Rinto, like I said. Never use that ridiculous slang on me." Len replied without waiting for Rinto to say anything.

"Oh, come on, pal!" Rinto was obviously drunk.

"I am not your 'pal'," Len said.

"Whatever!" Rinto sounded like he was half-laughing; Len even wondered if his body would one day break down if he continues drinking like that.

"妈, 我朋友打电话来了! 我去房间讲!" (Mom, my friend called! I'm going into my bedroom to talk!), Rinto shouted to his mom.

Rinto is a Chinese living in Japan. He lived in China before moving to Japan, and so he speaks both Chinese and Japanese, he learned English later on. Currently 16, one of the best hackers in the world and he drinks every day. Despite being Asian, he had an American accent.

"And now for the information," Rinto almost sounded like he was smiling, "Don't I get a 'thank you' first?"

"Your so-called information might not even be correct," But that was just a joke, his information is always correct, drunk or not. Even when he is drunk, he could still hack into the bank to steal at least fifty-thousand without anyone finding out. Len's mom has once joked about not messing with Asians; Len remembered it deeply and still found himself following the advice.

"Okay, okay," Rinto replied, "First of all, 'Lily's riddles are always about 'thinking the other way around'. Like when you read that line you thought it was about how she is escaping, then you found out it was the way she came in. There was a saying that she could read the minds of the people before it even happened. Of course, our little genius here isn't going to believe about that. Second, she has a little helper."

"Helper?" Len asked, "That I've never heard about, who is this helper?"

"Oh, it isn't a 'who' if you're really expecting that, it's a 'what'." Rinto replied, "A bird if I remember correctly, not sure what species it was."

"And?" Len asked.

"And she loves midnight."

* * *

A white shadow landed on the roof by hang gliding, two birds flew around the shadow like they enjoy being with her. The moon was very bright tonight, with the light reflecting on the smooth feathers of the two birds. The shadow took a look around and started praying to god. Praying to god to give the strength and wisdom to her.

Praying for safety, not for her, but for some other people.

* * *

"Midnight?" Len questioned.

"Yes," the sound from the other side of the phone answered, "Everything she does, she does it at midnight. Unless she gave hints in the riddle that she is going to steal it at some other time, or else it is definitely at midnight."

It was 11:56:51 p.m. at that time.

"Thanks for the information, I owe you one." Len quickly said.

"No, you don't" Rinto laughed a little, "You owe me a lot."

He hanged up.

Quickly, Len thought to himself, think the other way around. You think she was going to come after something happen, but nothing happened till now. The Atlantis must have meant something else…You think she was going to be hiding there somewhere, but it doesn't seem like it. You think she was going to escape from the windows, or with a rope but…

Len quickly ran towards the stairs. The elevators weren't quick enough, he needed the stairs now.

How could you be so stupid? Len demanded to himself. That's it; no more coffee for a week, Len scolded himself.

Roof, Len needed to head for the roof.

_There was a saying that she could read the minds of the people before it even happened. Of course, our little genius here isn't going to believe about that. _

Len is starting to believe that now.

* * *

"Now, now, good boy," the shadow told to the birds, then she looked at one of them and said, "Jack, go now. And don't break anything, just one wire, okay? And if you really want to, you can break a few more wires, but only a few. And Rex, remember what to do?"

The two birds looked like they understood what she said and flew off.

Then the door leading to the roof burst open.

Len was panting, running from the 8th floor to the roof, which is 6 floors, wasn't exactly the greatest activities. But before he had another time to breathe in, he immediately forgets how to breathe.

"Lily" was just…beautiful. It was like when a queen walks into the hall, even the king would stop what he is doing to admire her. The way she is just so majestic and graceful, yet so powerful in her own way, even standing there, she was emanating that aura.

Len quickly snapped out of it and started recording everything he's seeing. She's around fifteen, blonde, can't see her face because she's wearing a masquerade mask, slim and flat… and she's wearing a white tuxedo, blue tie and a white top hat.

"There's still 89 seconds till midnight," 'Lily' said, "Do you want to talk?"


	6. Tattered Trust

"You aren't the same Lily from 9 years ago, are you?"

Len asked calmly, this wasn't the first question that entered his mind, but this was one of the important ones.

She sat on the roof's edge, admiring the moon, playing with the wind. Or it might be the wind obeying her, guarding her, who knows?

"Seems like it, I guess,", 'Lily' smiled.

Must be at least fourteen, Len calculated. Even if this wasn't the same 'Lily' from before, it had the same aura as the one Len saw on television years ago. The same feeling, the same proud mask, even the same mysterious pressure that was crushing Len's mind.

There was also something about her accent, it was rotating around, sometimes it sounded like a British accent, and then it turned back to an American one, but thinking back, it sounded French. Len couldn't decide which nationality she is.

"78 seconds left." 'Lily' reminded.

"Why do you want to steal?" Len asked again.

"Because…" 'Lily' stood up, and gazed right into Len's eyes, "They're calling for me."

"I could catch you right here, right now," Len said, "why aren't you even running?"

'Lily' slowly moved towards Len, like a queen, slowly towards the throne. Leaned over and whispered, "Because you wouldn't."

She's absolutely right, Len chuckled under his own breathe, so clever.

From afar, a crow's caw echoed through the air, loud and clear. It flew towards Len and circled around him for a few times like a vulture preparing itself for its prey. Then headed towards 'Lily' and rested on her shoulders. For a moment, Len literally saw the crow looking at him, like it was thinking of a way to kill him.

"Now, now, good boy." 'Lily' softly patted the head of the crow, stroking its feathers. After four seconds, she looked back at Len, "Meet Jack, he's my friend."

A Sinaloa crow, pure black, Len guessed this was the 'little helper' Rinto mentioned before.

The name Jack was perfect for the crow; it somehow fitted it so well, although Len wasn't sure why he was thinking about this.

"46 seconds," Lily reminded once again.

"The riddle you sent, I have some questions about it." Len replied.

"Oh, really?" 'Lily' asked, "I was expecting some other questions, because most people would ask…who I am." Then Lily walked towards the edge slowly, Len's eye focused on her hair, silky, golden, beautiful.

"But thinking back," Lily commented, "You're not 'most person', are you?"

33 seconds, Len was secretly counting the time himself.

"You found me here, after realizing how. You _are_ here, because you know how." 'Lily' turned back and smiled, letting her cape float with the wind. "Am I right?"

Len found her, after realizing what she wanted to steal, Len is here, because he was the one who found out what she wanted to steal. It makes sense after Len used his brain.

Understandable yet unclear of what she just said, Len already loves the way she talks.

Then she giggled, like an innocent child.

"A hint for you," 'Lily' said, "You'll only have ten seconds to figure it all out."

19 seconds left.

"Delusion, illusion, conclusion and confusion." 'Lily' said, "There are actually four choices, choose yours."

Len didn't have ten seconds to think.

"Ah, and I've another thing to say." She faced the sky, on the edge of the building. Letting a few seconds pass to build up the tension. "I have another helper, a white dove, I call him Rex."

3…

She stood on the edge.

2…

She turned towards Len and smiled a beautiful smile. Len ran towards her, hoping to grab her before she does anything.

1…

She let herself fall down the edge, with Len missing her by inches. As Len watched her fall, he realized he did something very wrong, he turned back and…

0.

The whole city blacked out. Not a sign of light anywhere, with the whole city mixed in darkness…

The game begins.

* * *

Leon stood before the building, not exactly shock to see the lights all went out. He knew that 'Lily' will be coming. And they're probably going to lose another diamond tonight.

"Sir, your son is inside!" One of his friends, also a cop, came running to him.

"So?" Leon asked.

"It's not safe; don't you think you should've left him here?"

"Yeah, now that I think of it, it isn't safe…" Leon sighed, "…for the others. If they knew how well my son's probably doing, they'll jump off a cliff. Trust me, my son's going to be all fine; in fact, he'll be better than those with guns."

* * *

One of the police felt wind. He wasn't sure if that was the air-conditioner or something else so he stood still and waits for his next command. It was already 3 seconds pass midnight, and the only thing happened to them was the black out. They were all in combat stance, if anything gets near the diamond, they shoot. That was the command for now.

And no one was near the diamond.

Then the lights went back on.

"Are you gentleman really the best they've sent out? Because I gravely doubt it."

The police all turn to the same location, the window.

There was 'Lily', the phantom thief. She was standing at the entrance, a dove rest on her shoulder, and most importantly, a blue shiny beautiful object in her palm.

"And I'll be going now." She smiled.

And ran.

All of them chase after her without thinking. She was a girl wearing a heavy tuxedo with a cape, they were the best police who were trained, and they believed that they'll catch her without problems.

Or so they thought.

* * *

Len ran down the stairs as fast as he could to the 7th floor. He had to be quick before 'Lily' gets away. Len wasn't thinking about the diamond, he was thinking about asking her more questions before she leaves.

He had already counted the steps of stairs needed to run back here, and so he had calculated the best way to save energy after running flights of stairs. He might need this energy later.

He tried to focus what 'Lily' said about him having four choices. But he couldn't, all he was thinking about now was finding 'Lily'. The floor numbers decreased as he ran down, 11th floor, 10th floor, 9th floor, 8th floor.

And finally, the 7th floor.

He flung open the door, and was just in time to see 'Lily'.

'Lily' ran past him, right in front of him. Yet it was almost as if 'Lily' had already counted the time he would need to get down here, making them meet right at this point. The whole world went slow-motion at that moment.

That cunning yet elegant smile that stayed on her face was really distracting Len.

The police behind her were almost gaining up. Right in front of 'Lily' was a turn, two different turns to be exact. A T-junction. She could run right or she could run left, but neither would get these police off her back.

She took out something.

And throw it on the ground.

Len was already ducking before she threw it, closing his eyes and covering his mouth and nose.

A smoke bomb can be quite dangerous for the eye, actually.

_The scent of it, brings delusion and illusion._

Something told Len this still isn't where he makes his choice.

After the smoke cleared, the thief was nowhere to be seen, but what was left was the real problem.

On the left path, there was a calla lily on the ground, on the right path there was nothing. And that wasn't all; the air vent was opened wide. There were three places where she could go. And they had no idea where it is.

It could be the right path, like those tricks kids like to play, they drop something on purpose on the opposite path so that you think they went this way, but instead it was the other. But for someone like 'Lily', you'll never know. Maybe you know she did it on purpose, so you think it was the right path, but what if she already knew what you were thinking, and so she put the flower on purpose on the path she went to confuse you.

Len sum the whole thing up on six words: They knew she knew they knew.

And then there's the air vent, maybe that's where she went, who would know?

The answer was simple, quickly divide the groups into three and chase after her in all the directions. The police were good at this, quick. They set off before Len could finish thinking, and that's considered fast.

There were four choices, yet there was only three ways here. So Len took the last way.

He headed back to where the 'Pandora' is.

* * *

"Now, boys, I'm working," The melodic voice echoed in the big room, a beautiful girl stood beside the diamond, breaking the password and seals. She was surrounded by two birds, a dove and a crow, two birds of the total opposite. Dove symbolizing love and peace and has the color of purity, while the other symbolizes the messenger of death, evil and has the color of pure darkness.

She stood up and took the diamond inside, the real diamond of course.

If Len was here with them, it wouldn't end like this. But he wasn't, 'Lily' had seen to that.

She had ran off with a fake, the lights just went back on and she was already about to run. A normal person's instinct would've been chasing after her. They all did just that. Also, the police didn't care about the diamond; they only wanted to catch her, which was also one of the problems.

After at the turning path, she used the smoke bomb, but instead of going to one of those places, she ran back instead. And when a smoke bomb is used on you, you can't see who just bump into you; you might not even feel anyone bumping into you with all those people.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" 'Lily' asked, while holding the diamond high up where the light could shine on it, "Just like the moon."

She likes the moon, Len took a note…not understanding why he did this.

For a moment, Len let himself to rest for a few seconds. Looking at 'Lily' was like looking at a drawing of a beautiful innocent girl in a meadow holding up a flower high up in the air, playing with the wind and enjoying the sun, a place where is far away from the cities and industries. He would like this place, to say the truth, a place where he could relax his own mind.

"You worked with birds instead of a human, may I ask why?" Len asked, curious of her answer.

"Probably the same reason why you wouldn't place your trust on someone else." 'Lily' replied. "Trust, is something that you need years to achieve, yet you can lose it all in a few seconds. Doesn't seem like something I would want to waste my effort to gain. What about you, aren't _you_ lonely?"

"I am not lonely," Len replied, but after a few seconds of deep thoughts, he looked up at her and said, "I have solitude for company."

A small sigh escaped the mouth of the most famous phantom thief in the world, like she knew how he felt.

"They'll be back in a while, won't they? Are you sure you don't want to escape?" Len asked, changing the depressing subject.

"I will, in a while," 'Lily' said, "Don't you have some questions?"

Len wanted to believe that she could read his mind instead of her being too smart.

"Atlantis didn't exist, does it?"

The girl looked out the windows, "Yes, it does."

"In our heads, am I correct?" Len asked. And it was followed by a nod. "The three Atlantis meant three elements in our brain, like fear, wish or something else that has to do with our mind. Before this even started, you had already messed with our minds, correct?"

"Yes," She nodded, "…Time's up."

The shouts of the police were loud, and they were close. Did they finally realize that they just got tricked? Because if they did, they need a brain checkup for the amount of their stupidity.

"The rest of the mysteries are for you to find out." 'Lily' stood on the window.

"Escape through the sky?" Len asked.

"Correct," She replied.

And before they arrived to see the diamond missing, the phantom thief already disappeared through the sky, with Len still staring at the direction she went.

He didn't knew why, he suddenly had the urge to find Rin.


	7. Puzzled Pieces

Len needed some time to think. And so his father agreed to let him stay home instead of going to school that day.

Does he even need to go to school?

Len was…frustrated, disappointed at himself. He failed at catching 'Lily', he failed at controlling his own mind, he has utterly failed himself.

The whole time, the whole process, the teams were trying their best (although without using their brains) to catch 'Lily' and all Len did was stare at her face when he saw her.

He was just… staring at her. He couldn't help but think how…beautiful she was, behind that mask, those bright blue eyes he saw, her hair's like an Empress' silk shining under the moon, and that fair skin of her was just…

Len stopped himself.

Deep breath, deep breath, Len, he thought, keep calm and steady…peace.

Think about the riddle…

_After the three Atlantis sank, Pandora would be taken.__  
__To the Sun and the Moon, where the cursed Flora stays hidden.__  
__The scent of it brings delusion and illusion, __  
__Let Janus guide you, to conclusion or confusion._

It didn't make any sense at first, but after the whole process, after it happened, it all came together. Like a 10000-pieces puzzle that Len had tried to play before, if you've never even seen the original picture, it'll definitely be harder, or else, impossible to know where to put the pieces.

The three Atlantis: Atlantis never existed. It all started because of the myths, and then it became stories, then movies. It's all in our minds, our imaginations. And that was it. She toyed with his mind three times. First was his fear of not knowing things, although how 'Lily' knew that would stay a mystery. Second, was the riddle itself. Then it was 'Lily' herself. This is a possible explanation to Len's situation…

Pandora: Of course, the diamond.

The Sun and The Moon: She said that she 'stays hidden' there, telling us that she will come from the sky. And also adding the Korean folk tale, she escapes to the sky.

The scent of it brings delusion and illusions, Let Janus guide you, to conclusion or confusion: The scent was the 'smoke bomb', at least that was what Len thinks it is. The 'delusion' wes the roads, one with the lily, the other without it. And the 'illusion' was the air vent. And 'Janus' were the teams that headed the wrong way. They were guiding him to the wrong way, the 'confusion', and the other way was the 'conclusion', the way 'Lily' headed.

But then, something didn't make sense, cursed flora. The flora would signify 'Lily' herself, but, why _cursed_? It's like she's telling him something.

And…why is it like 'Lily' made the riddle…for him? It was as if 'Lily' knew him.

This was only making Len even confused.

Maybe I should have some coffee…or tea, tea is better, and a book to spend the afternoon, yes, nice and easy. You're okay, Len, you're o—

"Len! You have a visitor!"

And there goes his peace and his nice afternoon. Ruined by his father and this visitor.

Len wanted to just rush out there, tell the visitor to just go away, slam the door shut, and start playing his violin as loud as he can so he can't hear any other things.

But being the high IQ, well-mannered boy is, he walks out of his room and down the stairs slowly so no one will see how annoyed he is.

And then everything stopped.

Len spitted out a word in French and almost ran away. He was wearing a plain white shirt and random shorts he found somewhere in his drawer. He never thought a human being would take the time to visit him, and he never even had the slightest thought that a girl would visit him.

So what the hell is Rin doing here?

And what the hell is he wearing? How could he show himself wearing…_this_ in front of a girl?

And school only started just an hour ago, why is she here? Why isn't she at school?

"Hi, Len," Rin casually greeted him.

Len asked, "Why aren't you at school?"

"Because you weren't there, and I probably know everything the teacher is trying to teach us. So, I'm bored. And we have some personal matters to talk about." Rin said.

"Personal matters?" Len's father asked, "Len, what've you done to her? Wait, you've finally hit puberty?"

"FATHER." Len shouted, "I did not do anything to her. And what does this have to do with me hitting puberty?"

All Len could focus on was Rin's giggles.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, mister," Rin told Len's Father, "I'm just going to ask him about a project that we're doing in school."

"Take your time; we've got some cake here, chocolate or cheese?" Leon asked Rin.

"Cheese, thank you." Rin smiled.

"Such a nice girl," Leon smiled back, "Why can't you be more like her, Len?"

"I want green tea, thank you." Len said.

"…You're welcome." Leon forced a smile.

"Now, can you wait in the living room? I need to change my clothes." Len told Rin.

"Like I said, it's a personal matter; I want to talk about it in your room." Rin smiled.

"Well…sure." Len shrugged.

Len's room was on the second floor, the small room at the end of the corridor. There's not much in his room, a cabinet, a bed, a desk and a computer. And there's a shelf with at least 217 books inside. Leon didn't know how Len got the money to buy all this, but he'd rather not ask.

"Nice room you have." Rin started looking around, paying attention to everything in front of her eyes.

But she didn't do that when she walked into his house. She was only paying attention to this particular room. Len knew something was wrong.

"Now, about our personal matters." Rin smiled.

And Len was right.

Len just had enough time to turn back and block a kick from Rin that was about to hit his back. But Rin used a lot of her strength, causing Len to fall backwards.

"The next time I ask you what the riddle is about, don't lie to me." Rin stared at his eyes.

So, she found out about the riddle.

"I could've helped you." Rin sighed.

"Help me?" Len asked. "Wait…how did you…"

"They tried to get the police to keep it a secret from the people. But something like this won't be a secret for too long. And guess what, you're the star of the whole case."

"The star?"

"They've even give you a code name, to protect your privacy and information."

"Oh," That got Len's attention, "What is it?"

"Crack." Rin said.

"Crack?" Len smiled, "As in software cracking or as in cocaine?"

"Of course, in software cracking." Rin smiled back, "But, let us get back to our original topic."

Len gulped for the first time in five years. (The last time being when he was experimenting with chemicals, he accidentally causes a minor explosion that ruined his mother's cars and felt the wraith of her.)

"Why did you not tell me about the riddle?" Rin glared at him hard, "We could've caught her. Yes, I know you are a genius, but only one having one genius won't help you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I do." Len took a deep breath, "But please, do let me explain my situation. I have worked with the police before, a couple of times actually, and so I have more experience on these cases. Second, even if I want to tell you about it (Which he actually wanted to before), I can't. This kind of information isn't something everybody could know about. Even if something slightly goes wrong, our chance of catching her would decrease, greatly. And may I ask why you are so eager and anxious in catching her?"

"Because I want the things she's stolen to be back in the museum. Think about it, Len, all those works and paintings, especially Leonardo's original notes. I admire creators, and just thinking of these remarkable works, stolen, makes me boil in anger." Rin realized she was a bit agitated, calming herself down, she softly spoke the word, "Sorry."

"I understand, Rin." Len sighed, "All those works, those paintings. The history and stories behind them, the wisdom and knowledge. I understand."

"You do?" Rin looked at him strangely, "Most people don't."

"But am I 'most people'?" Len grinned.

"You arrogant bastard." Rin giggled quietly. Then Rin looked up towards Len's desk, "I notice you have a Chinese chess set."

"Well, yes," Len answered her; "Do you know how to play it?"

"Of course I do," Rin replied, "Do you want to go for a round?"

"Sure," Len said back almost immediately.

Len opened the chess set, touching the flat circular pieces as he set them up and think about the rules.

Two cannon, two advisor, two chariot, five soldiers, two elephants, two horses and of course, the general. On the board, a river and the palace.

Cannons can jump over other pieces to kill.

Advisors move diagonally in the palace.

Chariots, almost like the rook, move straight, considered the strongest piece.

Soldiers move one step a time, not the weakest, considering the fact that it is the only piece that the general cannot kill.

The elephants move like a large 'L', or according to the Chinese way, the word '田' while the horses move just like the knight or the word '日'.

The general, of course, like the king.

So much fun rules for the game. Just naming a few isn't enough.

For example, when the way is clear for the enemy's general, it can directly fly across the board to kill another's general. The elephants cannot cross the river. The soldier cannot be killed by the general.

Len likes the Chinese chess better than the common chess. So much rules, so many ways to kill and people can often kill you without yourself realizing.

One round turned into ten rounds, with all of them lasting about 40 minutes long.

It was the most fun Len had in years.

* * *

Kaito stared at the two empty seats; both Rin and Len didn't come to school, what a coincidence.

He was quite…disgusted by himself, playing dumb was required to get near to Len, at least let Len think that Kaito isn't as smart as he looks. But he could still see that doubt in Len's eyes, that suspicion. Well, Len _is _the cleverest guy in this place for a reason.

Both Rin and Len are good, both of their brains and skills are a must.

He'll continue this act for a while, at least until the time comes.

Now then, the riddle, Kaito thought, surely Len had solved it already. Kaito might need both of their help if he wants to get that 'Lily', and of course, the treasures.

Just how much he could get if he sold those in the black market?

And he had already received some information from Japan, just two minutes ago.

Another riddle has arrived.

And Len is definitely going to need help with this one.


	8. Fake Fear

The plane to Japan was originally supposed to fly at exactly 6 pm, Len wanted it to be right on schedule, but to his annoyance, it was delayed.

The plane started to fly at 7:22 pm.

"A few hours waiting isn't going to kill you, it's not like it's the end of the world," Kaito tried to calm Len down, which he failed utterly.

Lily's "invitation" arrived in Japan, and only in Japan, which could probably mean two things: The next thing Lily's going to steal is also there, and that Lily is already waiting there for them to come.

As much as he hates to say this, Len needed Kaito's help because this was a foreign land which Kaito knows about. He needs Kaito to be their tourist guide, and hopefully for him to assist Len in some way.

He had told Kaito that they were just going on a vacation because Len didn't want Kaito involved in this whole madness.

He got Rin with him as well.

Len had immediately told Rin about the riddle the moment he got his hand on it. He vowed to Rin to cooperate with her on catching Lily and he will abide by the promise no matter what.

Of course, he'd get Rin to help him even if he didn't vow about it.

Rin's just beside him, reading a book by the same author that they had talked about before, Alexander Des. The title of the book was "The Disqualified One's Weeping". Rin was so focused on the book that Len didn't dare to make a sound. But Rin noticed his movement.

"It's all a matter of being constructive or being destructive." Rin recited, smiling while doing so, "Nice quote, don't you think?"

"It surely is," Len replied, "Construct and destruct, it's all a matter of building it up or tearing it down."

Rin closed the book, "Dignity, sanity, humanity, a mere disqualification is all it needs to break it down."

"Would you both just shut up? I can't understand what you guys are talking about, and I don't even want to know. I've got a problem to think of and I don't need another riddle to keep me busy." Kaito said out loud.

"Well, at least we know his stupidity can't be tore down no matter what," Rin mocked.

Len laughed at her comment.

The flight to Japan was about 13 hours long. Usually this amount of time was enough for Len to die of boredom. But this time…

He took out something from his bag and turned to Rin, "Chess?"

With intelligent eyes, Rin replied "Of course."

* * *

The game continued for seven hours, sleep took over everyone on the plane, including Len's dad who was sitting behind their seats, leaving Rin, Len and Kaito still awake. But after the final match, which Rin won, she dozed off with the satisfaction of winning.

Len had noticed Kaito staring out of the window for a long time and after a bit of thinking, Len was starting to find him strange.

He's the son of the Yakuza leader, and rumor was that Kaito's a clever trickster. He was a person with wealth, power and brains. So, why…

"The night's beautiful, isn't it? And there's a full moon too."

Len stared at him as the blue haired teenager smiled and commented about the darkness outside.

"I've always loved the night. It's quiet, dark and nothing else can interrupt me in this silent barrier." Kaito lowered his head and said.

Len was silent for a while, and then he asked, "What do you think of your own homeland?"

Len has never been to Asia before, he was simply curious.

"Hmm…" Kaito lifted his head and smiled a childish smile, "Let's see…It's a beautiful land full of technology that entertains our lives. A place where the strangest things happen, a place full of my favorite manga and anime, a place of so many culture you need a hundred years to study them all, a place where…"

Kaito's expression changed, from his naïve looking smile into…

"A place where juveniles would kill themselves just to escape from that place, a place where your exam results means everything, a place where not being able to get straight A's means you're the biggest piece of shit that should've never been born, a place where suicide is so common we get tired of it."

Len gazed at the window. Below them, he could see tiny, dim lights of the city.

"Welcome," Kaito smiled once again, "To Asia."

Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

"We're going to go and take a look around the city," Len told his father, "We'll meet with you later at the hotel."

Leon patted Len's head, "Be careful, don't get lost, don't talk to strangers…"

"Father, exactly how old do you think I am?" Len sighed with a small smile.

"Old enough to get a girlfriend," Len's father leaned down, "Rin's cute, isn't she?"

Len stomped on his father's foot without anyone noticing.

"I've told my father to prepare a car, it'll be here soon." Kaito almost laughed at Leon who was pinching Len's face.

"Thank you," Leon replied, "Please look after my son; don't let him do anything dangerous. And please, if he tries anything like hacking a computer, getting himself into a gun fight, killing someone or reading another one of his mind-killing books, stop him."

"Of course, sir." Kaito grinned at Len who was glaring at his father.

A car stopped in front of them.

"The hell…" Leon gasped.

The car was a beauty, made in the year 2025, imported from Italy. Able to accelerate from 0km to 370 km in 5.7 seconds, it's the best car of the year. It has a similar design to a car called F12 Berlinetta, but much more beautiful and of course, with better performance.

It was called F13 NEL.

Kaito walked over to the driver's seat and spoke something, a man in tuxedo came out and walked away, bowing down before he left as Kaito sat on the driver's seat.

"Get in!" Kaito shouted.

Len, like a gentleman, opened the car door for Rin before climbing in.

"You've got yourself some strange friends," Leon sighed, "Would you mind telling me who he is?"

"He's a member of the Yakuza." Len smiled at his dad.

"Wait, what?!"

"Fasten your seatbelts, and hold tight." Kaito grinned, "I'm going to show you why Initial D was invented."

"Aren't you a bit too young to be driving?" Rin asked.

"Aren't you two a bit young to be getting helicopter pilot licenses?" Kaito asked back.

And then he stepped on the accelerator.

* * *

The cops were following their car after 30 seconds.

"Would you kindly slow down? I do not want to appear on the front of the newspaper tomorrow, neither does Len," Rin commented.

Kaito took out his phone, dialed a few numbers and started talking, "はい, カイトです…警察は俺を追いかけている…いいえ，馬鹿じゃない…ども…"

(Yes, it's me Kaito…The cops are chasing me…No, I'm not stupid…Thanks.)

About 20 seconds later, the police cars retreated.

"The police won't even try to mess with me," Kaito smiled, "Without the Yakuza, they'll lose at least 40% of their money, and they won't last a month."

"Where are we going?" Len asked.

"To meet a few people," The car drifted and turned left, "You might find them interesting, those people are the best, they know quite a lot about gaming and technologies. According to them we'll be getting Samsung Grand SII and finally, a FF7 remake this year." Then he muttered to himself, "Would somebody get Valve to actually make a third sequel of something? I need a new Portal game."

Len stared at Rin, Rin stared back.

One thing that they don't know about, is gaming. The last time Len played a game was about eight years ago. As for Rin, she never even touched the PS6.

They both shared the same confusion.

And they both shared the same suspicion.

"How did you know about the riddle?" Len asked Kaito immediately.

"What riddle?" Kaito asked innocently.

"The riddle by Lily, you know something, don't you?" Len asked.

"Look, Len, I don't…"

"On the plane, you said '_I've got a problem to think of and I don't need another riddle to keep me busy_'; possibly meaning you were thinking of a riddle. Possibly, of course. But then, you said, '_And there's a full moon too_', the word 'full moon' appeared in the riddle." Len spoke out his suspicions.

"The riddle this time, at least what I think, has a lot of words hinting about '_gaming and technologies_'." Rin continued Len's sentences. "Isn't it a bit too much of a coincidence your talking kind of connects to the riddle?"

"You're quite clever," Len grinned, "But your mouth betrayed you."

"I've said it before, I'll say it again," Kaito sighed, "I hate geniuses like you guys."

Len knew he had to be careful of Kaito from the start, he was right.

"So, who exactly are we meeting? And where are we meeting them?" Rin asked sternly.

"Don't worry; these are people who can really help you," Kaito said, "With the riddle, of course."

"How?" Rin asked again.

Kaito ignored her and continued, "The only problem is, they're in the mental asylum."

Len scowled. "And the reason why they're in there?"

"There are nine people. All of them have some kind of mental illness. The first one has Chronophobia, the second one has Deciophobia, the third one has Panophobia, the fourth ones has Sciophobia, the fifth one has Epistemophobia, the sixth one has Oneirophobia, the seventh one has OCD, the eight one is bipolar and the ninth one has dual personalities, one being a normal kid and another being a paranoid adult." Kaito said as he drifted into another road.

Chronophobia: The fear of time.

Deciophobia: The fear of making a choice.

Panophobia: The fear of everything.

Sciophobia: The fear of shadows.

Epistemophobia: The fear of knowledge.

Oneirophobia: The fear of dreams.

OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Interesting, Len thought.

"I'm pretty sure having OCD can't get you into the asylum." Len suddenly said.

"…You'll see."

The car stopped, both Rin and Len looked outside the window.

It was a large building, painted entirely white; there was nothing special about it except for its perfect symmetry.

"Death the Kid would have been happy to be here." Kaito said.

"Who?" Rin asked curiously.

"Nothing," Kaito said, "Let's go in."

* * *

"And here it is." Kaito pointed at the metal door.

In front of it, Len took out a notebook from his pocket and flipped the pages. And there it was, the words resting quietly on the paper.

The riddle.

The last resort for the last fantasy,  
The greatest blacksmith killed the angel that went crazy.  
A creed of the third killer and the using of the code,  
The devil that refuses to cry and the missing show.

The sky of the sixth order where the full moon arrives,  
The buttons to be inputted, reversed for a surprise.  
Heaven or hell, the strike to end it forever,  
When the glitch occurs, it's game over.

"I've already got permission to talk to her, don't worry, she's in a straitjacket." Kaito said.

…Her?

"I thought you said there's nine people, why is there only a 'her'?" Len looked at the door that Kaito was about to opened.

"Well…" Kaito smiled and grab the hilt.

The door opened.

Inside, a girl with dark green hair talked to herself without noticing their arrival. The tone of her voice and her expression kept changing, she might have been a beautiful girl once, but her own insanity must have ruined it.

"…She has ten personalities."

* * *

**This time, I'm going to be a bit talkative.**

**Part of this chapter is dedicated to a person I do not know. But what I know is, this person is an eighteen year old student who got straight A's, he was extremely good at martial arts and he had a lot of friends. **

**But because of the stress from examinations, homework, school, tuitions, he killed himself because he couldn't take it anymore. He jumped off from the eighteen-floor and died on the spot. He had a bright future, but he couldn't stand it and he wanted to escape. **

**I don't remember his name, I saw his picture on the newspaper and I knew how he felt.**

**Rest in peace.**

**That's all I want to say, thank you for listening.**

* * *

**Still, the riddle this time is extremely easy, if no one is able to solve it, I'll get really disappointed.**

**Also, the author Alexander Des and most of the objects like the car and the PS6 are things I randomly made up. **

**Hint: Game.**


	9. Malty Madness

**I apologize, because I was really drunk while writing this.**

* * *

"Stop the car! Stop the car! God damn it, stop the car! I do NOT want to die in the holy land of anime, manga and game! Holy—STOP THE CAR!"

"Screaming isn't going to help you." Len continued taking notes on his notebook. Both Rin and Len were trying to concentrate on solving the riddle, but they failed at it due to a certain someone's screaming.

"Then tell him to stop the car! This isn't Tokyo Drifting! This is trying-to-get-yourself-on-Tokyo-news-of-the-day!"

Kaito turned his head and looked at the screaming boy, "Just wanted to say, in Hetalia, I hate China."

"The hell…you got a problem with Chinese? And what is with the sudden talk of Hetalia? Crazy Japanese."

"You got a problem with Japanese?" Kaito shouted towards the boy.

"YES! For example, I have a problem with your driving skills! STOP THE GOD DAMN CAR!"

The two geniuses decided to ignore them.

Rin and Len were totally confused. Sure, finding out what games the riddle's about was easy, at least, easier than the other parts. But trying to get two people who never play games before to figure a riddle about games, even if they are geniuses…

This was about everything they got:

Last fantasy: Final Fantasy, obviously.

The angel that went crazy: Possibly the one winged angel, the antagonist of the game Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth.

A creed of the third killer: Assassin's Creed, the word 'third' could be the third sequel of the series.

The devil that refuses to cry: Devil May Cry.

And that's all.

「他媽的。。。草泥馬，停下來，你這個神經病！真的是靠杯。。。停啊！」

Rinto suddenly decided to scream in Chinese, unfortunately, the blue-haired boy has no clue what he was talking about. More unfortunately, Rin and Len understood what he was saying…But due to the curse words coming out of Rinto's mouth, he decided not to translate it.

But after about twenty minutes of screaming, Len finally stopped them…by calling their parents.

He took out his phone calmly.

「你好，請問這是Rinto的母親嗎？。。。是的，我是連。。。」

「媽！你別聼他亂講話！」

(Hello, is this Rinto's mom…? Yes, I'm Len—)

(Mom, don't listen to him!)

Too late, Rin thought.

Kaito didn't understand a word, and he didn't want to. But after about five minutes…

「こんにちは，私はレンです。。。カイトの…」

"Wait, who the hell are you calling?!" Kaito urgently shouted.

Rin sighed…how did it end up like this? More importantly, when and how did Len get his hands on Kaito's parents' phone number?

Rin looked outside of the car, Kaito was indeed driving fast, everything passed by before Rin could even catch a glimpse of it. All she was hearing now was the sound of the three teenagers, two of them desperately pleading Len to stop while Len himself sounded like he enjoyed torturing the two.

Rin found herself smiling.

* * *

The ride from the airport to their hotel was about 43 minutes and 17 seconds long.

"So, you're telling me that…I had to catch a plane immediately from Osaka to Tokyo…just to tell you about games?" Rinto tried to smile, but couldn't, "Look, I know you're a genius, I know you're good at a lot of things, so I'm pretty sure you might know about…oh…what was it called again? Oh, right, WIKIPEDIA! I was practically enjoying my life back there! My friend sent a dozen bottles of vodka, six bottles of whiskey, two more bottles of Sake (Japanese Wine) and another whole box of those beauties. I could finally sit down, watch a whole list of Anime I was going to watch, start playing my lifetime supply of PC games while being drunk! And you just had to ruin my life. What do you want to know about? Battlefield? Halo? Mario? Zelda?"

"He sounds like he knows you for a long time; because I'm pretty sure you'll never let someone talk to you like this." Rin commented.

"What kind of anime?" Kaito asked…Really, of all the questions?

"One Piece, Fairy Tail, Hetalia, Gintama, Soul Eater, Switch, Hungry Joker, Deadman Wonderland, Man, Beelzebub, 1/2 prince, Bleach, Detective Conan, Pandora Hearts…" Rinto listed out. Len decided to ignore Rinto, because the little genius here is definitely not interested in these anime…especially after a certain incident with his father. (He caught his father watching that anime called Gintama in his room at midnight while laughing his life out.)

"Remember what I said about hating China in Hetalia?" Kaito looked as if he's in deep thought, "I might reconsider that."

Rin and Len both knew about the problems between Japan and China. Long ago in World War 2, China was invaded by Japan, about 3.75 million Chinese died by the hands of Japanese. If they included the disease and famine, that's a total of 19 million. The Chinese hated the Japanese, even until this day for the people of the last generation and a small percent of this generation.

As for Japan, well, you can't really blame the ones born after the war. They were taught in school that Japan was the victim in the war and that US dropped the atomic bomb on them for no reason. Some of them never even knew the truth until they went on the internet. The government over there didn't want them to feel guilty about what their ancestors did in WW2. And apparently, studies say that about 30 percent of Japanese students decided not to learn history. They know about WW2, they don't know about the details. They don't care about history.

China hates Japan for that, Japan in this generation don't know why China hates them, so some of the Japanese hate them back, the others…Yup, they don't care.

"Actually…We aren't trying to ask about a game. We're trying to figure out a riddle." Len decided to bring back the topic instead of think about Japan and China. He took out his notebook and pointed the riddle for Rinto.

"Lily…" Rinto frowned, then he snatched the notebook away. Rinto took a good look at the whole riddle, "Life just got more interesting…When did you get this?"

Len answered his question, "Not long before…We need to ask about the games possibly listed in this riddle and that—"

"STOP…Why would you automatically assume that these lines are about gaming?" Rinto asked curiously. Of course, the question was not without reason.

"Well…"

* * *

"This is the  
Deep sea city underground, the farthest end of the island, a shrimp's paradise.  
Deep sea city underground, princess suffering from Paranoia.  
Deep sea city underground, the sparkling diode stars are breaking down now.  
Deep sea city underground, dying from Liar schizophrenia."

The green haired girl sang to herself in a childish way, and either she doesn't know what she's singing about, or that she's just singing this twisted song on purpose, she was scaring Rin. Judging by the way she's acting…no, Len couldn't figure out which personality she is now.

She was changing too much, her expression, her eyes, her smile, the way she follows the tempo of her own singing, the tone, it was changing so fast, Len couldn't keep up with all of them.

It was like a choir, a choir of ten different people.

"Gumi~" Kaito called out, "Over here~"

Gumi, Len thought for a while…

He remembered who Gumi is now.

Long story short: Five years ago, a girl got dumped by her boyfriend. She killed him in a sickening way and her crime was found out a week later while she was talking with her neighbor. The neighbor found out from her strange behavior and the way she talked about the break up.

At the court, she said, "He told me I can take back my most cherished item that I gave him; I gave him my heart, but how can I take that back? So I took him away…"

The sentence sounded romantic until…

"…but it took me four bags to pack him up."

The body was found in four bags. The first one was full of the flesh and meat of the boy, the second one contains his bones, the third one contains his internal organs and the fourth one was his head.

After multiple checkups, they found out about her mental problems.

The girl with ten-personalities…

…Right before Len's eyes.

"Do I answer him? No, I don't want to choose…Do I ignore? But how do I decide…No, no, NO. Stop it, stop it, deciding? Why must I decide? No, too much questions…!"

Deciophobia…Len thought.

"Oh, hi! Welcome, random guest! Sit down please! Haha! But still, get out already! Why are you still here? Get out! Get out!" The girl suddenly shouted at them for no reason.

Bipolar, Len whispered under his own breath.

"I'm sorry," Kaito decided to interrupt her, "We just need some of your time and－"

"NO! Please! Not time, anything but time! It's taking my life away from me! Don't you feel it? Seconds by seconds, every single bit of life…" She started crying and blabbering about things Len couldn't hear or even understand.

Chronophobia.

"Sing, it calms you down…doesn't it?" Kaito suddenly told her.

"Yes…yes…sing, sing, sing." Gumi laughed. She calmed herself down and started nodding her head like she was finding a beat for the song. Then she opened her mouth.

"King!  
What now!  
Help!  
With what exactly?  
The…The princess has being kidnapped…again  
The hero?  
We don't have one…  
Oh, maybe…if so you're the hero from now on.

SETTING DESTROYED.

Come, take the contents of the chest, get some rest, a party next, buy an upgraded vest.  
Get up, level up, run around and fight the monsters now.

Wait, you're kidding me right?

In a pinch, in a cinch, you'll get hints, from the citizens by talking.  
Rescuing, boss-killing, leveling, fighting!

_Repetez_?"

What in the world is she singing? Both Rin and Len quietly thought.

As if reading their minds, Kaito turned around, "A song called 'Death should not have taken thee', a song about RPG, a song about games."

Len suddenly started focusing about what she was singing.

Of course, the song wasn't helping him; it was just a song about how the protagonist of a game who is just a normal citizen just suddenly became the 'Chosen One' for no reason and was sent to save the world.

Both of them sum the song up in one word: Random.

Gumi was silent for a while after she finished the song. She looked around as if trying to check where she was, then she looked at the three people.

"I am so sorry." She said it like she was full of regrets, "That was so embarrassing. I can't believe of all the times I could go crazy, I chose today."

"You…choose?" Rin asked, sounding like she was very interested with Gumi's condition.

"Yes," Gumi smiled at her, a cunning smile, the smile of a fox, "I know of their existence, but they don't. I let them out sometimes, because if their thoughts keep on swirling in my head, even this last bit of sanity will be taken away. Still, sorry for the delay."

"No problem, so you are…?" Len wanted to guess which personality she is now; it was either one of the dual-personalities or the one with obsessive compulsive disorder.

"The one with OCD," Gumi smiled, "The girl with the ribbon over there, the left side of your ribbon is an inch lower than your other one. Fix it, now. Blue guy, tidy your hair before I pull them off of your head. And that boy over there," Gumi stared at Len for a while, then said, "Nice shirt."

"Thank you." Len replied.

"Now, back to business," Even in a straitjacket, Gumi was still scaring Rin.

The crazy girl smiled.

"I'm guessing you guys want to ask about…Lily?"

* * *

**And, another hint about the riddle.**

**The code: Four directions and two actions.**


	10. Code Carnival

"How did you know we were going to ask about Lily?" Kaito questioned the girl.

"Because that's probably the only reason why people would come to me," Gumi answered, "Last time it was those stupid police, then there were these crazy fans of Lily, and then there was Leon and his partner…"

"Wait," Len cut in, "My dad came here before?"

Gumi stopped and observed Len from head to toe, "You two do share some resemblance…You're Len Strife? That famous guy with tons of IQ and the one who is currently dating a blonde girl, you're Len Strife?"

"Date—What?" Len shouted, "I'm not dating Rin! She's just…"

"Oh, so her name's Rin," Gumi turned towards Rin and looked at her, "Nice name. You two are perfect together."

"I told him that, he didn't believe me," Kaito told Gumi, "They are the perfect pair, don't you think?"

"I agree," Gumi nodded with a smile.

"Exactly what were we talking about again?" Len asked, a bit frustrated.

"Whether you and your girlfriend there should get married," Gumi smiled, "Now, I'm guessing Lily sent out a riddle that you guys couldn't take care of, so you came looking for me so that I could help your riddle in some ways, right?"

Len took out his notebook and showed it to Gumi.

Gumi stared at the riddle for a few seconds, a smile appeared on her face, "I didn't know Lily was interested in gaming."

"Well, neither did us." Rin replied, "Anything you can make out of this?"

Gumi closed her eyes, as if searching for answers in her messed-up brain, "If her riddle is made out of one paragraph, the first line would be the target, the second and third line would be how she steals it, and the fourth line would be how it ends. If the riddle has two paragraphs, the first and second line would be the target, the third line would be connected to the fifth and sixth line, the fourth line would be connected to the seventh and eighth line."

"Which means…"Rin snatched the notebook away, took out a pencil and started writing.

The last resort for the last fantasy,  
The greatest blacksmith killed the angel that went crazy.  
A creed of the third killer and the using of the code,  
The devil that refuses to cry and the missing show.

The sky of the sixth order where the full moon arrives,  
The buttons to be inputted, reversed for a surprise.  
Heaven or hell, the strike to end it forever,  
When the glitch occurs, it's game over.

"On the first part, we have Final Fantasy VII, with the blacksmith and the angel as a hint of the target. A creed of the third killer and the sky of the sixth order would be together. The code is buttons inputted backwards. The devil that refuses to cry and heaven or hell is…"

"Devil May Cry's difficulty!" Kaito shouted, "I've heard of it from somewhere. In this mode, both the character and the monster get only one HP, which means everything would be a one-hit kill, you get hit, and its game over."

Len kneeled down beside Rin and looked at the Riddle, "And if we put the last line and the fourth line together…The missing show is the glitch. So now we have to figure out what the sixth order means, what the code is and what kind of glitch she's talking about. And most importantly, the target."

Rin nodded, "We're going to have to do a little research on angels and blacksmiths. Let's go."

"Thanks Gumi! But we have some researching to do." Kaito shouted, "We'll come and visit you sometime! Need anything?"

"Some hot chocolate would be nice." Gumi smiled, "I want whip cream in it. Also, if they get married, be sure to invite me to their wedding party."

They were already running off.

Gumi lowered her head.

"Come on to this play, and fade away, to dance this night away.  
We know, we know, the lies that you display.  
An act of total pride you swore to kept in,  
A dying pierrot with nothing more left to say.

A doubt designed, to go left or go right?  
A truth destroyed, now which way is the lie?  
Look now, it's a stage for you to shine.  
So let your fear rest and let your eagerness fly.

'Cause it's the time, to leave your mask, a sickening disguise,  
To show your face you hide under your own lies,  
The fake love the weak you hope to guide,  
A never ending agony of your useless mind.

Give up and die,  
A bride casted aside,  
The tide of time to show that you're denied,  
Come on, can't you hear the crowd's agreement,  
You're just a suffering clown in the circus of lies.

On stage to hide,  
A play of life,  
To say goodbye ,  
A scream inside,  
Come on, come on,  
Come on, come on,  
Come on, come on,  
Come on, come on,

And cry."

Gumi laughed.

"It's such a nice song for you, don't you think so? It's called Idola's Circus. A song of mask and lies, a perfect song that fits you."

* * *

Her brain was killing her.

Every single thought was squeezed into her mind; every one of them was trying to take away her sanity, leaving her alone in the path of psychopathy, a captive of madness.

Those thoughts weren't even hers to begin with; they were the thoughts of the other nine personalities.

It was tearing her apart.

But she needs to continue running, no matter how painful it was.

Because they were catching up on her.

She wanted to call the police, she wanted to kill herself right there, she wanted to leave that hell-like place immediately, but she couldn't. She didn't have a phone, she didn't have anything to kill herself with, she didn't even know where she was.

And now, her mind was trying to take away her last bit of sanity, her last bit of hope.

Gumi swore to herself to protect this hope.

If they caught her, she would end up in the cell like those other people. Experimented, researched, observed, tested, watched, cut up, caged up like a worthless guinea pig.

She'd rather be in the mental asylum than be in this hell.

These people were interested in her brain, how she was able to control all these personalities and not let them come out. But she escaped, somehow, she escaped.

And here she was, being chased by a group of people in the middle of a forest.

There was no place for her to hide, no people to help her. Her legs were filled with pain, she was running out of breath, every muscle in her body was yelling for her to stop, but her brain was calling out for her to keep on running. At least, a part of her brain was doing that, the other parts were chatting about Pokémon.

"Over here! I see her!"

She turned around and looked.

A man was aiming a tranquilizer gun at her.

"Nowhere to run, you little—WHAT THE…!"

A woman flew out of nowhere and hit the man with her elbow. As fast as the woman could, she snatched the gun and attacked the man with the back of it. She kicked him in the stomach before he fell to the ground to make sure he was out. All of this happened so fast that Gumi didn't have time to react to it.

The woman was around twenty, young and beautiful. Her silky gold hair shone under the moonlight, but it was still too dark to see her face. Her white tuxedo seemed to fit her very well, showing her curved hips and long skinny legs. She looked so elegant and perfect that Gumi felt ashamed.

"Who are—?"

Before Gumi could ask anything, the woman picked her up and ran.

"Don't close them up, talk to them, know them, be friends with them. That way, your head wouldn't hurt so much," The woman whispered into Gumi's ears.

Gumi was surprised to find someone else knowing about her situation other than those men, she was scared for a moment, asking herself if this woman was also out to catch her. But the woman's voice was so soft and comforting that Gumi wasn't even afraid of her.

Then she realized something, she was weighing at least 120 pounds, how exactly had this woman managed to carry her while running?

Maybe she's a goddess, Gumi thought to herself.

She felt safe in the hands of this woman, so safe that she was starting to doze off. But she reminded herself that she was still in danger. Those men might still be out there, finding her. This woman might have saved her, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't do any harm to her later.

But tiredness was really tempting her to sleep.

"I'll bring you somewhere safe, don't worry."

The woman's voice was so beautiful, like a lullaby.

At last, Gumi fell asleep.

* * *

By the time Gumi woke up, she was in a mental asylum, safe and sound. She followed the woman's advice and talked to the other personalities, it worked and they start to quiet down a little.

She looked around her room and found a rack of books, a bed and a table with papers and pencils inside the drawer.

She reached under her pillow and found a letter.

_Dear Gumi,_

_I'm sorry you have to go through all that, but I want you to know that you are now safe. The asylum will take good care of you, I've seen to that. I have also got some books for you, just in case you are bored. If you need any more books, you can tell the doctors, they will assist you as long as you need it._

_Singing should help you calm down. I heard you love singing, maybe those other personalities like it too. You can get the doctors there to introduce new songs to you whenever you like it._

_I'm sorry I can't help you in any other ways, I'm a bit busy, and I have a kid to take care of. She's a cute little girl, just like you. But apparently, cute girls are a bit bothersome. _

_Also, don't tell anyone I saved you, ok?_

_The message will self-destruct in 10 seconds, nah, just kidding,  
Lily._

* * *

Gumi smiled as she remembers the memories of the beautiful woman that once saved her.

"Your daughter is indeed cute," Gumi said to herself, "She looks exactly like you, beautiful, elegant, sweet, clever…"

"…I miss you, Lily."

* * *

"Found anything yet?" Kaito asked.

"Nope," Len replied, "I've searched every possible in-game codes or cheats; I've looked up every possible connection with Assassin's Creed and sixth order. There wasn't anything that might be connected to the riddle. But I did found something interesting, it's a code and..."

"Guys," Rinto called out, "You might want to see this."

Rin was looking at an article that she randomly found on Google, it was an article about a sword.

"It is about seven feet long, wielded by the famous antagonist in Final Fantasy VII. Sounds familiar to you?" Rinto asked.

"The Masamune," Kaito called out, "Why?"

"Because it's named after this guy," Rin clicked on another tab and showed them another article. "Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, known as Japan's greatest sword smith. The sword wielded by Sephiroth (The antagonist in Final Fantasy VII) was called Masamune, and Sephiroth was the angel that went crazy. The blacksmith and the angel, we might have a clue what Lily's going to steal now."

"A sword made by this person?" Rin asked.

"Probably." Rin replied, "And now we just need to know which one."

"If so, you can leave that to me," Kaito smiled, "I'll get my…people to search for that."

He took out a phone and pressed a few buttons while walking out of the room, as if not letting both Rin and Len hear his conversation.

"I need something to drink; they got anything in this hotel?" Rinto asked.

"Downstairs, I think there are some bottles of wine in it." Len replied.

"Finally!" Rinto sighed, then he stood up and left the two genius inside the room. It was quiet for a while after the two left, Len wanted to break the silence, but he couldn't do anything but stare at Rin.

"So…You were saying you found something about a code?" Rin asked.

Rin was so beautiful, her pink lips, her starry eyes, her smooth hair, her attractive nose and perfect chin. Everything about her was just…

"Len?" Rin called out.

"Oh…right…" Len snapped back, turned around and placed his laptop in front of Rin. "In a game called Bioshock Infinite, which was released in 2013, there was a way to unlock a difficulty mode in the game called the 1999 mode. You can finish the game to unlock it, or press up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, cancel, confirm. The 1999 mode…"

"Wait, repeat what you just said!" Rin shouted out suddenly.

"…The game was called Bioshock Infinite?" Len asked.

"No!" Rin smiled, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start! That's the…"

"Konami code!" Len realized, "I've heard it from Rinto before! So, if it's reversed…"

"Start, A, B, right, left, right, left, down, down, up, up." Rin tried to think for an answer.

"Wait, could it mean… Since the A button mostly means to jump, and the B button probably means to attack, could it mean, Start, jump, attack, and then Lily will start running in those directions." Len told Rin about his theory.

"It works perfectly!" Rin shouted in delight, "Len, you're a genius!"

"Everybody's been telling me that since I was six." Len smiled.

"Well, have you ever let another genius tell you that?" Rin asked.

"Yes, about ten seconds ago." Len replied.

Rin's smile was killing Len. It was just so beautiful that Len was starting to lose control, and it was starting to panic Len. Len has never been in such a situation, and the more he stared at Rin, the more he wanted to bury himself away so that no one would ever know about this.

"Lovebirds!" Kaito smashed into the room and shouted urgently, "Go to my house, now! You can get a room later!"

Len glared at him, "Why do we need to go to your house?"

"Because I just found out I've played with a sword that was made by this Masamune guy when I was four years old!"


End file.
